National’s Regional Economic Development Spokesman Paul Goldsmith says the Prime Minister needs to step in to stop Jones from attacking business leaders.

“Shane Jones’ attacks on Fonterra’s leadership are the latest burp from a man who is fast losing any respect he once had,” Goldsmith says.

He says Jones’ comments that he’s “worried about the absolute absence of accountability for the enormous amounts of dough that the current Fonterra chairman has presided over” is “startling hypocrisy.”

“[This] from the same man who defended his own region getting the lion’s share of funding from his billion-dollar Provincial Growth Fund by stating ‘to the winner goes the booty.’”

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28 Comments

Yan - also known as Bill Liu, Yang Liu and Yong Ming Yan - admitted receiving "significant sums of money"
between 2012 and 2014 from a series of frauds.

The surprise money laundering conviction led to the Department of Internal Affairs to investigate whether his New Zealand citizenship should be revoked.

He was granted citizenship in 2008 by Shane Jones, then a Minister in the Labour government, against the advice of Internal Affairs who believed Yan did not meet the "good character" requirements. - NZHerald

If Shane Jones really has our interests at heart he'd be calling for himself to resign.

Clearly Jones didn't make much money off that deal because he was a bit tight fisted at that one hotel.

Shane Jones is a cobbler from the north. A bit like his mate really. He makes politics fun and that's about the only plus side we see from any of our politicians and their politics these days. He's almost as good as Shane Warnie was to the Aussies.

“I’m worried about the absolute absence of accountability for the enormous amounts of dough that the current Fonterra chairman has presided over,” - Funny that, I’m quite worried about the enormous amounts of dough Shane presides over...

sold my shares in Air NZ last month after Shane Jones mouth ran away. Share price continues to fall.

This will do nothing to help Fonterra's share price that has been in free fall since the CoL took office.

He needs to keep his trap shut, and engage his brain. This sort of rant damages NZ reputation massively on the international stage. Not to mention the loss of value to Investors, and farmers who have their livelihoods at stake.

Jones' key point, it seems to me, is this "that Fonterra should focus less on interfering in politics...". And in this he's absolutely right. Fonterra has been used to treating Wellington like a company town.

From the sacking of an elected environmental council and replacement with pro-dairying flunkeys, through influence in the deployment of public money in massive irrigation subsidies, to the distortion of New Zealand's foreign relations in support of their Chinese fantasies, Fonterra and its industry have had, and have come to expect, unquestioned and privileged political influence.

Perhaps it's time for the company to focus on developing its business acumen rather than relying on special treatment in Wellington. In spite of all its political meddling and special pleading it has still managed to lose market share in China to more professional competitors.

Bang on Workman, the Fonterra Nabobs keep turning up on Govt's front door-step seeking favours oblivious to the change-of-climate at the Beehive. Jones is right. That the Fonterra Brigade keep turning up tells you they had open access during the Nat's reign. Lobbyists all. It is now claimed that Speirings, the $8 million man from Fonterra, was never once interviewed, refusing all requests by the media, while assuming full access to the beehive

the Elephant in the room is growing bigger to become a Dinosaur, and is really getting frustrated by the drip-drip-drip noises from the noobs and "others" ...

Cannot see any reason why this CoLs should last more than this term at all ... this view is getting more popular every time the RH SJ and others like him open there trap ... Yes to the winner goes the booty for a while, then the boots come back to kick the losers out smart fast ! ... Alas, all after costing us a lot of money !!

Well done NZF voters !! you should be ashamed for allowing this to happen. Hope you have learned your lesson.

Normally WP & NZF hibernate for just over two thirds of each parliamentary term and the they go hammer & tongs and flail at what ever issues can lift their profile pre election. And it has generally worked, more or less if you are prepared to overlook the Owen Glenn publicity debacle. Maybe Shane knows Winston will not be there in the frontline, not there at all in fact, in 2021. Therefore, maybe the profile raising and line dancing has had to start two years earlier than usual?

Agreed totally, but you would have to be having a really happy and optimistic day, to call them second rate. Ask yourself or anybody else for that matter, how many of them going back as far as you wish, would you like to work for, work with or have work for you?